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A 37 Year Career in Process Development

A 37 Year Career in Process Development. Dr. Lanny A. Robbins Research Fellow The Dow Chemical Company. Process Development Division Award. Thank You. Beginnings. PhD ChE Iowa State University 1966 Slide Rule, Graph Paper, Typewriter Handbooks and Textbooks A few mainframe computers

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A 37 Year Career in Process Development

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  1. A 37 Year Career inProcess Development Dr. Lanny A. Robbins Research Fellow The Dow Chemical Company

  2. Process Development Division Award Thank You

  3. Beginnings • PhD ChE Iowa State University 1966 • Slide Rule, Graph Paper, Typewriter • Handbooks and Textbooks • A few mainframe computers • Thesis on reaction mechanism at 2200 oF

  4. The Dow Chemical Company • Pilot plant for water soluble polymers • Plant Start-up in Mexico City • Liquid extraction pilot plant for Ag Chem • Developed melt crystallization process

  5. Promoted Miniplant Concept • Conceptualize successful commercial process • Scale-down to smallest scale possible to get data for design • Generate data at plant operating conditions • Scale-up to commercial success • High success rate

  6. Liquid-Liquid Extraction • Product recovery from reactor effluent • Waste water purification • Catalyst removal • Schweitzer’s Handbook • Perry’s Handbook

  7. Stripping Solvents from Water • Highly non-ideal VLE • Air stripping perchloroethylene • Easily strip to 4 ppm • Double gas flow and strip to 2 ppm • Double gas flow again and strip to 2 ppm • Double gas flow again and strip to 2 ppm

  8. Scale-down Packed Columns • New packing pressure drop correlation • New generalized liquid loading and gas loading factors • Mass transfer correlations from small packing to commercial sized packings

  9. Liquid Distribution on Packed Column Beds • Invented new liquid distributor design • Licensed patents to Nutter/Sulzer • Over 450 installations in Dow • Low liquid loading in rectification • 50 to 1 turndown demonstrated at FRI

  10. Distillation Process Control • Distillation Control Strategies • Optimizing Quality Performance • Tuning Process Control Loops

  11. Pressure Swing Adsorption • Hot Gas PSA • Beds of 3A molecular sieves • Dehydrate ethanol for gasoline • Sorbathene PSA for vent emission control

  12. Without Disclosing How Chem Eng Magazine 2001

  13. BioTech Lactic Acid Process Development • Fermentation of corn sugars • Biomass separation • Water removal • Product purification • Lactide monomer process

  14. No More Pilot Plants? • Define the problem and the opportunity • Search and understand the state-of-the-art • Develop a hypothesis, i.e. a concept or a model • Design & run experiments to test the hypothesis • Evaluate, summarize and document the results The Scientific Method

  15. Risk Management • A mathematical computer model is a well articulated hypothesis • When we build a plant we will test the validity of the hypothesis • It is only a question of the size of the first fully integrated process

  16. Risk Management • We tend to require about 30% modification of the first fully integrated process plant • Miniplant • Pilot Plant • Semi-plant (Market Development Plant) • Transportable Modules

  17. Ability to Handle Difficult Chemistry is a Competitive Advantage • Flammable Chemicals • Toxic Chemicals • Bio Chemicals • Waste Handling and Disposal Capabilities • High Pressure • Computer Control System

  18. Create Value for the Organization • Learn to strike a balance between the “risk” of making a mistake because of insufficient data and the “cost” of generating enough data for everyone to be comfortable • Collaborate, i.e. add your creative energies to what others are contributing • Work like a big accordion, i.e. make music whether you are being stretched or squeezed

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